(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a copyright data management system, and more particularly to a content usage rule management system that conducts a management processing of a digital copyright and a usage rule when using a content.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In the conventional copyright management system, an IC card, secured and inserted into a content user terminal, is used for managing a copyright data and conducting a content usage management processing. When a user wants to utilize a content, with another user terminal besides the terminal that is operating at the moment, the user uses a pre-holding content usage rule (data which indicates a scope of the right for the content usage quantitatively, and how much content can we utilize under what kind of circumstances). That is, when a user wants to carry around his own content usage rule, the user should make a good preparation for the own content usage rule to be written to an IC card anytime. And the portability for the content usage rule is secured by inserting the IC card, in which the content usage rule is always being written, to the other user terminal, and the content can be utilized.
As an example of conducting a management with the IC card, there is a conditional receiving method for a digital broadcasting system such as a “pay broadcasting recoding reproduction method” (Japanese Patent No. 2983504). FIG. 1 is a diagram that shows a conventional content usage management system configuration. The content usage management system includes a wide area network 1, a broadcast (communication) satellite 2, a user terminal A3 such as an STB (Set Top Box), a user terminal B5, an IC card A7, an IC card B9, a server 11, a TV 130 and a TV 150. In the figure, the wide area network 1 shall include a broadcast communication network such as a satellite TV broadcasting (communication). Conventionally, the user terminal A3 is equipped with the IC card A7, the user terminal B5 is equipped with the IC card B9 as shown in the system configuration diagram of FIG. 1. The user terminal A3 and B5, which have a communication function, receive a content from the server 11 via the broadcast (communication) satellite 2 and store the received content inside. On the other hand, the user terminal A3 and B5 each obtains a content usage rule via the wide area network 1 such as a dial line network and each user terminal conducts a copyright management in each IC card. The TV 130 connected to the user terminal A3 and the TV 150 connected to the user terminal B5 are available for its utilization by each IC card.
However, with the above conventional method, the portable service for the IC card is not effectively used because of a lack of convenience for inserting/pulling of the IC card and a lack of the portability. As a result, the IC card is used under a condition of always-inserted into the content user terminal, thus the portable service is not realized with the above method.
Also, when a contractor of the IC card and a content user are different, for example, a “family plan use” contract, it is possible to use a content whoever operates the user terminal despite of the contractor's intent with the IC card inserted. Thus, it is difficult for the contractor to give a permission to utilize a content only to a user who is permitted by the contractor.
On the other hand, when one content user terminal is used by a plurality of contractors, each contractor needs to use the content user terminal by turns after inserting the IC card. As a result, when the content user terminal is used for a parallel processing for contents utilization, the processing should be operated by turns as is the same case with the above, accordingly, a problem, which a number of contractors can not use the same content user terminal at the same time, will occur.